Trailer hitches conventionally have been mounted to the frames of vehicles at the rear adjacent the bumper. Typically they have consisted of an elongated hollow hitch receiver mounted on the vehicle and a ball mount member adapted to be selectively inserted into the receiver and secured with the towing ball extending rearward in operative position. With no trailer attached the ball mount has presented a hazard to persons passing the rear of the vehicle and accordingly the ball mount is usually detached when not in use.
Once removed the ball mount must be stowed inside the vehicle or risk loss and/or unavailability when needed. When stored in the vehicle the ball mount frequently becomes a deadly missile in the event of an accident.